Sectional highway construction.



H. P. BEECHERf SEGTIONAL HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1913.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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H. P. BEECHER. SEGTIONAL HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1913.

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HERBERT P. BEECHER, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS;

SEGTIONAL HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. "Z, 1914.

Application filed. September 27, 1913. Serial No. 792,102.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT P. BEEGHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional Highway Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sectional, highway construction.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide sectional members for the construction of road-ways for high-way vehicles, such as automobiles, horse drawn carriages, wagons, trucks and the like, whereby the parts, constituting the wheel paths, consist ing of parallel sectional stringers, or rails, may be quickly laid and conveniently and readily replaced in making repairs.

Another object of my invention is to provide reinforced concrete sectional rails, the

upper surface of which are to afford paths for the vehicle wheels, of such form and configuration as to provide self-contained fastenlng devices, in cooperation with slmllar fastening devices provided on, or associated with, reinforced concrete cross ties that are to beplaced at substantially right angles on a preferably ballasted road bed at intervals along said rails.

Another object of my invention is to provide, on the cross ties, integral gage determining and rail holding means or fastenings whereby to preserve parallelism of the rails and to retain them in contact with the ties, without the employment of extraneous holding devices.

Other and further objects of my invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art from the consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a roadway, showing my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of fragments of two abutting ends of adjacent rails, and a part of 'a cross tie. Fig. 4: is a section, taken on line 4:4: of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one endof a cross tie, and a portion of a rail to be connected therewith.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

ln'the illustrative embodiment, 10 is the foundation or base of the roadway, preferably ballasted, or otherwise made firm and compact upon which my sectional structure is to be placed.

Along the road bed and transversely placed thereon, at suitable intervals, are cross-ties 11. These cross-ties are shown to be placed immediately below the abuttingen ds of adjacent rails 1212'. A practical distance for the separation of the cross ties 11 is six feet when the rails 12-12 are six feet in length, which is a convenient length, without involving too great weight, for ease of handling. Both the rails and cross-ties are made of reinforced concrete and are completed, in every particular, before they are placed in the roadway.

In Fig. 5, 13indicates a reinforcing material, such as expanded metal, metal cloth, or the like, and the preferable way of placing it within the rail structure, although other forms of reinforcement may be employed, if desired. Such for instance as rods, wires, or the like.

1 1 indicates the reinforcing metal in the cross-tie, as indicated in cross section in Fig. 4.

The rail has a laterally extending head 15, on each side of its vertical center, and a laterally extending base 16 on each side of its center, and an intermediate, relatively narrow, web portion 17, providing between the head and base on each side grooves18, 18. Each of the cross ties is provided with enlarged terminal heads 19 on each of its ends and intermediate of the heads 19, and on each upper side, is a ledge 20 upon which a lower portion16, of the rail, rests. Overhanging the ledge 20 is an angularly disposed surface 21, that is substantially coextensive in length with the ledge on the tie. The end of the rail 16, is provided with a tapering portion 29.,t0 engage the surface 21 of the tie, the lower surface of which rests upon the ledge 20, thereof,- as shown the ties and extends to substantially the transverse middle of the tie. The tie is provided, on each side, with a tapered surface 23 so that when it is inserted in a body of concrete, or other road material, it will be diflicult to lift it in a vertical direction, and by. thismeans it is held firmly in the road bed. In like manner the tapered, overhanging surface, 21, of the tie serves to engage the projecting portion 22 of the rail and prevents the rail from being lifted. The head 19, of the tie, is substantially rectangular in cross section and is provided wlth inwardly projecting lugs 24 which engage recesses 18 in the rail.

When the rails are placed in proper position with regard to the head 19, of the tie, the edge of the base 16 is in contact with the surface 25, of the head, and a projection 24:, is at this time within the longitudinal recess 18 of the rail. \Vhen the rail is placed.

in its position on, the tie, the portions 2 1 and 25 determine the gage, or distance of separation, of the substantially parallel rails, located on each end of the tie. Now when the ballast 10 is placed between the rails 12 and 12 it serves to hold the rails against the rojections 2 1-24 and the surface 25, of the ead 19, of the tie, and by this means the gage is positively maintained.

To remove the rail sections 12 and 12 or either one of them, it is only necessary to take out the ballast, or filling 10, between the rails and move the rail section slightly toward the longitudinal center of the structure and then to further move one end of the rail section toward the other fixed rail, when the defective rail section, being moved, may then be taken from place between the adjoining ties, and another perfect or unworn rail section may be substituted for the one removed, in the same manner but by reverse operation. As soon as the rail section has been replaced, the filling in of the concrete, gravel, stone or the like, between the rails, serves to hold the rails outwardly in proper positions in contact with the respective heads 19 of the cross ties.

The upper surface of the head 15, of the rail section 12, is slightly grooved, or channeled, as at 26, and the tread surface of the channel is provided with intersecting depressions or grooves 26 to improve the tractive qualities of the rail.

To prevent upheaval of the structure by frost I may employ suitable anchors 27 secured to the cross ties 11 and place the anchors in the ballasted road bed 10 below the ties to hold them in proper place. While these anchors are not essential to the proper use and operation of my structure they may,

spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a roadway structure the comblnation of reinforced concrete cross-ties and similar 7 sectional rails, each rail having its end resting upon a tie; of cooperating, integral, fastening means and gage determining means molded with said ties and rail ends to pre vent relative displacementof said ties and rails and to maintain parallelismof said rails.

2. In a roadway structure, a reinforced concrete tie, having enlarged ends against wh ch the rail ends abut to determlne the gage, or distance of separation between rails, and rails, having integral fastening means at their ends for engagement with'the enlarged ends of the ties.

3. In a roadway structure,a reinforced concrete tie, having enlarged ends against which the rail ends abut to determine the gage, or distance of separation, between rails; a ledge, on each vertical side of the tie, extending longitudinally thereofbetween said heads and upon which'the ends of'the respective rails rest, and ralls, havlng integral fastenmg means for engagement with the enlarged ends of the ties and for the tapered surfaces above said ledges.

4. A reinforced concrete rail having a laterally extending base part; a head part, of substantially equal width, having a shallow channel in its upper treadsurface and having integral fastening means at each of its ends, for engagement with a cross-tie, and a cross-tie, having cooperating integral fastening means for engagement with the rail ends. i r

5. A reinforced concrete rail having a laterally extending base part; a head part, of substantially equal width, having a shallow channel in its tread surface and intermediate channel between the head and base part and'having integral fastening means at each of its ends, includingsaid channel, for engagement with-a cross-tie, and a crosstie having cotiperating, integral, fastening means in its sides for engagement with the rail ends. j V 6. A reinforced concrete tie having substantially rectangular heads, at each of its ends and ledges on each of its vertical sides between said heads, said sides taperedoutwardly in cross section from said ledges to its top surface, and a rail having its base part out back at its end to provide a fastening projection and to rest upon said ledge and to permit. the end of the rail to extend to the transverse center of the tie and to rest upon the top surface thereof.

7 A reinforced concrete rail having a laterally extending base part; a head part, of substantially equal width, having integral fastening means at each of its ends, for

engagement with a cross tie, and a cross tie 1e having codperating integral fastening means for engagement with the rail ends.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT P. BEEGHER. In the presence of- Mrs. W. A. ILIFF, ROY J. SOLFISBURG.

Copies of this patent inay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

